Inspired by the presidential campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, retired Army Capt. Shawn Carlson this week started gathering signatures to make the primary ballot to challenge U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, a Golden Democrat, although the 31-year-old would probably disagree with the way that’s phrased.

“It’s not that I’m running against Ed,” Carlson told The Colorado Statesman. “I believe in my own ideals and my own leadership and the fact I want to get involved and make a change.”

And while he credits Sanders with rousing his interest in a congressional run, Carlson makes clear that he isn’t a “protest candidate” and isn’t targeting Perlmutter because the five-term congressman is a Democratic superdelegate supporting Hillary Clinton.

“It was Bernie that gave me the inspiration — anyone with a dream does have a voice,” Carlson said. “This is my way of getting more involved.” He added, “I am a Bernie supporter, but I’ve never put it out there I’m doing it for that reason.”

Sanders won Perlmutter’s 7th Congressional District by a wide margin in a straw poll conducted at Democratic precinct caucuses March 1, beating Clinton 62 percent to 37 percent (the remainder were undecided). Sanders carried Colorado by about the same margin in the statewide straw poll.

“Ed supports Hillary and believes she is the most qualified candidate to lead our country,” Perlmutter’s incoming campaign manager Clinton Thomas told The Statesman. “That said, Ed will support the Democratic nominee — whether it’s Hillary or Bernie — in the general election.”

“When Bernie is nominated and elected, we can finally stop the naysayers who say, ‘He’ll never get anything through Congress,’ by electing a better Congress!” Carlson wrote in a Facebook post Thursday. “He’s shown that if you have conviction and a desire to improve this country, then you have a chance.”

Carlson is a 2006 West Point graduate and served eight years as an infantryman, including a tour in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, until he was “laid off” in late 2014 due to across-the-board federal spending cuts, part of the budget sequestration. He moved to Colorado last year and lives in Westminster.

“Government should only be big enough to help people reach their full potential,” he said, ticking off elements of what he termed his “enable, educate, empower, allow and build” platform: “Health care is a right, not a privilege,” Carlson said. “College should be a given, like kindergarten through 12th grade, but we need to fully fund our schools.”

He also supports automatic voter registration, curtailing the influence of money on politics and criminal justice reform, among Democratic policies such as protecting the environment and rebuilding the country’s infrastructure.

“We haven’t had a national dream, a national vision that inspires people,” Carlson said. “There’s a leadership deficit,” he added, “and I feel I have the experience.”

Carlson will have to collect 1,000 valid signatures from Democrats living in the district in order to make the June 28 primary ballot. Petitions are due to the secretary of state’s office April 4.

Two Republicans are running for the chance to challenge Perlmutter. Westminster City Councilman Bruce Baker and retired Army Major George Athanasopoulos have both said they plan to pursue the primary ballot at the GOP congressional district assembly.

“One of the great things about our democracy is that everyone is free to participate,” said Perlmutter spokesman Thomas. “We feel confident that Ed’s track record clearly shows that his focus is and has always been on helping the hard-working folks in the middle, and we’ll be running a campaign based on getting that message out to the voters of the 7th Congressional District.”

Perlmutter raised $156,016 in the last quarter of 2015, according to campaign finance reports, and had $645,986 on hand at the end of the year. He’s raised $906,939 this cycle.

Carlson said he plans to raise money but won’t be competing with Perlmutter on that front.

“One needs money, but it’s not about money,” he said. “I’m going to follow in Bernie’s footsteps — I’m not going to take PAC money. I hope to connect with the voters.”

— ernest@coloradostatesman.com